Question

Recent headlines have sparked heated debate about whether boys should be allowed to dress as girls. For example, a 5-year-old boy in Seattle who enjoys things traditionally for girls, such as jewelry, the color pink, and dresses was supported and encouraged by his mother, who wrote a book about him called “My Princess Boy”. A J. Crew ad featured a mother painting her young boy’s toenails hot pink (CBS News, 2011 April 13). Reactions ranged from outrage and disbelief to support of the mothers.

On the flipside, girls who shun traditionally “girly things” such as dresses and flowers in favor of more traditional “boy things” such as watching or playing sports, rough-and-tumble play, and choosing boys as friends are often called tomboys.

For either sex, choosing to engage in activities traditionally reserved for a specific sex can result in teasing and accusations of homosexuality.

Using research gathered from your textbook, online course content, and at least 1 research article, analyze the above scenarios.

Are the behaviors discussed above (i.e., preferring things traditionally acceptable for a specific sex) indicative of homosexuality? Why or why not?

Describe the psychological consequences (positive and negative) that might result from engaging in behaviors reserved for a specific sex?

Develop an argument for or against concern that these children might be exhibiting a paraphilia.

Which paraphilia(s) might apply and what criteria would you use based on the research?

What, if any, intervention would you recommend to a parent whose little girl or boy expresses the desire to engage in behaviors typical of the opposite sex? If you do not believe intervention is necessary, explain why.

Answer 1

There is a vast difference between sexual orientation and gender identity. Sexual orientation refers to, who a person is attracted to, and would like to be romantically involved with. Some people who are heterosexual, they are interested to be sexually involved with the opposite sex. Some who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or queer, they are interested in being romantically involved with the same sex. Gender identity is different from sexual orientation. They are often mistaken to be the same. Gender Identity refers to what a person feels from within. A person who is born as a boy, may feel like a woman from within and exhibits his identity through his feminine clothes or behaviour. Likewise, a person born as a girl, may later in life identify herself as a man. She likes to dress up like a man, she may want to be powerful like a man.

The behaviour discussed above is not indicative of homosexuality as the boy feels feminine from within. However, he may be interested in opposite sex. He may not sexually be attracted to the same sex making him homosexual.

Talking about gender identity in the open is considered to be a taboo in our society. It is already enough of a trauma for a person to go through conflicts of self identity, to top it all they cannot express their concerns as it is unacceptable by the society. There are umpteen controversies that arose from people 'coming out'. It usually during adolescence that an individual comes in terms with their 'real selves', the problem usually arises in schools. Kids are bullied in schools, they are ostracized by their peers because they are 'different'.

Paraphilia is an abnormal sexual disorder. Gender identity has little to do with paraphilia. It is not abnormal. The society views it as abnormal. Gender identity is a preference. It needs no intervention. It is not a sexual mental disorder like necrophilia. There is no intervention needed. One must accept it instead of changing another person's gender or sexual identity.